1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication system comprising an image server and a client computer having a display device or an image data receiver having a display device, and an image server, a client computer and an image data receiver which constitute the image communication system.
The present invention relates further to an image communication system in which an image server and a client computer are capable of communicating with each other, a client computer constituting the image communication system, a method of transmitting image data, a method of displaying information relating to image data, and a computer-readable recording medium having a computer program stored thereon for realizing the above method in cooperation with a computer.
Further the present invention relates to an image editing system in which an image server and a plurality of client computers are capable of communicating with one another, client computers constituting the image editing system, an image editing method, and a recording medium having a computer program stored thereon for image editing.
2. Description of Related Art
An image server and a client computer have been generally connected to each other through a public telephone line or the like, to download image data stored in the image server in the client computer.
However, time required to download image data is lengthened because the data quantity of the image data is generally large.
A method of connecting an image data receiver having a CPU with a low processing speed, for example, a game unit or a television set to an image server through a public telephone line or the like, to display an image represented by image data which has been transmitted from the image server has been put to practical use.
When the image represented by the image data transmitted from the image server is displayed on a display device of the image data receiver having a CPU with a low processing speed, an image data receiver having a CPU with a low processing speed naturally has a limitation in rapid adjustment of an image represented by downloaded image data, not similarly to a computer. In the image data receiver, it is difficult to rapidly display an image in a state desired by a user.
Image data has been relatively frequently transmitted and received between a client computer and an image server by the spread of an internet. For example, it is possible to download the image data from the image server, and synthesize or correct an image represented by the image data in the client computer.
It takes long time to transmit image data because the quantity of the image data is generally large. An individual user of the client computer is relatively frequently connected to the image server using a public telephone line. When it takes long time to transmit the image data, the communication charge is increased. Therefore, it is preferable to make time required for transmission as short as possible. In such a case, it is convenient for the user to previously know the time required for transmission.
Furthermore, the same image as an image synthesized once in the client computer may, in some cases, be used to synthesize or correct the image again. In such a case, the user of the client computer wants to rapidly retrieve information relating to the image data used once for image synthesis.
Furthermore, when it is considered that image data representing a template image is transmitted from the image server to the client computer, the template image and a user image stored in the client computer are synthesized in the client computer, data relating to a composite image obtained by the synthesis is transmitted from the client computer to the image server, and a high-quality composite image is obtained using a high-quality printer in the image server, it is convenient for the user of the client computer to confirm the quality of the composite image to be printed.
By the development of computers and the spread of an internet, communication between an image server and a client computer via the internet is realized.
If communication can be relatively easy to establish between the image server and the client computer, it is also relatively easy to upload image data from the client computer to the image server and download the image data which has been uploaded to the image server.
Therefore, it is possible to attain various developments, for example, download the image data which has been uploaded to the image server, edit an image using an image represented by the downloaded image data and the other image, and upload the edited image from the client computer to the image server.